My friend Kristel Co So, wrote a great blog post on February 3rd targeting commercials that tickle our funny bone and their impact. It was aptly titled “Bottoms up! for Heineken’s “Walk-in Fridge” Commercial”
While reading her blog, I could only think of the most memorable commercial I have ever seen. I was living in England in 1999 when the commercial first aired. It is quite possibly the funniest commercial I have ever seen. The commercial advertises Sweden’s most popular daily at that time, Expressen.
It features two middle aged guys sitting next to each other in a sauna. The shot only shows them above their shoulders and one of them tries to surreptitiously glance somewhere that is dangerously low between the other’s legs. When you see the commercial and figure out what he’s looking at, it turns out to be hilarious.
As a young soccer player, our entire team shared a gym and anyone caught naked would be ragged about their “wee-wee.” At that time, this advertisement made perfect sense and appealed to little me. While at the same time, I remember how the rest of my family, parents, grandparents, and cousins would also all tear up laughing while watching this commercial.
The commercial is very simple and manages to catch your attention easily. The fact that it manages to be funny without a single word being said makes it relevant across all cultures. I agree with Kristel about the impact of funny commercials and how they remain etched in our mind. I picked up my first newspaper after watching the commercial and every time I read one, I think of it.
Yes, I did make my father buy Expressen when we went to Sweden!
It can be seen here.
One reply on “What Are You Looking AT!?”
haha! hilarious commercial! and you are right, the commercial did not even need words for it to be funny. Thanks for sharing! =]